Senior Mental Health Worker - Ageless inBridgwater inBridgwater PUBLISHED MON 21 OCT 2024

Are you a Mental Health Nurse RMN and NMP looking for a new opportunity in Community/Older Adult Mental Health?

We have transformed our Community and Older Adult mental health services to provide increased opportunities for early assessment and interventions for people who typically present within primary care. This post holder will, be working primarily within community mental health services, and primary care and neighbourhoods with good links into specialist care.

The role will involve working closely with existing services as well as developing links with other relevant community services. This role will be required to provide guidance and support to colleagues working with Older Adults therefore experience within an Older Adults Community Mental Health setting is important.

Alongside carrying a caseload, the post-holder will provide structured guidance, supervision and advice to other mental health staff and voluntary sector staff in relation to their working practice with this patient group; promote awareness and best practice concerning mild to moderate mental health difficulties as well as patients with severe mental illness, actively supporting positive attitudes and a consistent approach towards assessment and treatment of this patient group.

This post will be paid as a Band 6 pending completion of the PACR and NMP modules. Progression to band 7 pay scale will be dependent on successful completion of these modules.

You will be warmly welcomed to our friendly and inclusive Community Mental Health team at Glanville House in Bridgwater.

You will:

Lead on the assessment, planning and implementation of interventions for people aged 18+, with complex needs and comorbidities associated with older age.

- Act as lead for a caseload of people, developing, co-ordinating and reviewing their care plans.

- Offer individual and group interventions where appropriate.

- Build relationships with other professional groups, including the Older Persons Community Mental Health team, the Primary Care Network, Neighbourhood teams and the voluntary sector.

- Promote physical health to service users via health education, information and advice, enabling them to make informed choices.

- Ensure carers needs are assessed and onward referral is provided

- Offer specialised clinical supervision and leadership in MDT forums, such as local leadership group or clinical team meetings

- Act as an independent NMP, providing medication reviews in line with policy

About us

Clinical Responsibilities:

- To take a lead in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of interventions/treatments for people aged 18+ presenting with mental health issues within a designated geographical area or as required by the Service, ensuring evidenced- based practice is reflected throughout.

- To undertake assessments of people with complex needs and comorbidities associated with older age, working alongside relevant professionals, to identify needs and treatment plans.

- To act as lead professional for a caseload of people with mental health difficulties and developing their care plan, coordinating and reviewing their care and treatment outlined in the plan, offering direct individual and group interventions to these and other patients where appropriate.

- To guide assessment, formulation and treatment planning for people with mental health, this will include taking a lead in developing formulations for patients, and to assist other practitioners in primary care including voluntary sector workers to develop formulations as appropriate in relation to their caseload. To promote best practice in positive risk management amongst teams working with this patient group.

- To develop therapeutic relationships in which people using services are empowered and enabled to make informed choices about their health and healthcare.

- To provide liaison into Primary Care services and Neighbourhood teams building relationships with GPs and other health professionals.

- To participate in wider multidisciplinary working across Neighbourhood services.

- To communicate complex information to a range of people and professionals with a wide range of levels of understanding. Identifying barriers to understanding and using creative methods to overcome them.

- To promote health through provision of health education, information and advice

- Ensure that carers' needs are assessed and appropriate intervention or onward referral is provided depending on need.

- To provide and develop highly specialised clinical supervision in both individual and group formats to other staff who may be of a different skill mix, to ensure the best possible clinical outcomes for patients and to facilitate, teach and guide other professionals in offering a consistent and evidence based treatment approach with this client group.

- Constructive use of own supervision sessions, engagement in reflective practice, commitment to continuously develop self-awareness and work appropriately within professional boundaries.

- Will act as an independent non-medical prescriber providing medication management and reviews in line with the professional standards their professional regulatory body (e.g. NMC, HPCP etc.) and with the Trusts Medicines Management policy.

- To work collaboratively and flexibly with the multi-professional teams within Neighbourhoods to co-ordinate a coherent approach towards a mild to moderate mental and / or emotional health and/ or individuals with severe mental illness stepping down from specialist care in the Trust, actively promoting continuity of care and approach between services and to coordinate working practices.

- To develop and maintain one's own clinical skills and expertise in the area of assessment, approaches to, and treatment of older people with a a mild to moderate mental and / or emotional health and/ or individuals with severe mental illness stepping down from specialist care; and, to be reflective and responsive to meaningful service user and carer involvement.

- To participate actively in team meetings and other forums as appropriate in order to secure best possible clinical outcomes for people with a mild to moderate mental and / or emotional health and or individuals with severe mental illness stepping down from secondary care.

- To ensure that there is adherence to local policies and practice when any legal responsibilities are held.

- To be actively aware of current & new legislation and government guidance which impacts on everyday mental health practice.

- To take all necessary action to safeguard one's own safety and well being whilst visiting patients in the community.

- To take all necessary action to safeguard the welfare and safety of others when visiting health and social care premises in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Service development responsibilities:

- To work with the line management team in developing and implementing this service

- To act as a Trust representative and to develop and maintain links with other professionals and other agencies in relation to this area of specialist practice

- Participating in development initiatives within the Team and the Trust as agreed with the Service Manager

Clinical Supervision, Teaching & Training

- To receive regular management supervision in accordance with the Trust's Staff Development and Review Policy.

- To have an annual appraisal and associated personal development plan

- To assist with the development and provision of mental health training to staff in the designated locality and to other teams in the Trust, in conjunction with, and at the request of the management team.

- To receive ongoing and regular clinical supervision; to meet the requirements for clinical supervision associated with practicing as an independent nonmedical prescriber as defined by the relevant professional body with whom the post holder is registered and in line with the Trusts Medicines Management policy.

Professional:

-To follow the policies of the Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

- To promote the Service by displaying the highest professional standards at all times.

- To enable staff to implement and monitor the highest professional standards of mental health care

Clinical Governance:

- To promote the use of effective interventions with regard to a mild to moderate mental and / or emotional health and or individuals with severe mental illness stepping down from secondary care.

- To participate in and promote clinical governance as required. -To liaise with other disciplines and agencies, as appropriate, to ensure best practice is shared.

Research & Development

- To support and facilitate R&D activities as required.

- To undertake research in topic areas relevant to the work of the service as agreed and appropriate.

General:

- To undertake such other tasks and duties as reasonably required by the Service. This is an evolving area of work and the post holder will need to be actively flexible in their approach.

Key Relationships:

- Operational Services Manager

- Neighbourhood Service Leads

- Neighbourhood Development Managers

- Integrated Teams

- Memory Assessment Services

- Somerset Partnership Talking Therapies

- Voluntary Sector

- Primary care practitioners.

- CMHT, Ward and other locality team managers

- Psychological Therapies Service staff

- Working with carers and significant others and members of the community with connections to people who use the service.